Tamzin Outhwaite Opens Up About Family And Change

For Tamzin Outhwaite, the journey from household TV star to a self-assured single mother has been anything but predictable. The actress, best known for her roles in EastEnders, Murder Before Evensong, and New Tricks, has spent decades in the public eye, but it’s her private life—her relationships, motherhood, and the evolving dynamics within her family—that have shaped her most profoundly in recent years.

Outhwaite, now 55, has weathered the highs and lows of fame, love, and parenting with a candor that’s both refreshing and relatable. Her two children, Flo, 17, and Marnie, 12, whom she shares with her ex-husband, Welsh actor Tom Ellis, remain her greatest priority. While audiences may recognize her from the small screen, to Flo and Marnie, she’s simply “mum.”

Her family story is one marked by change and resilience. When Outhwaite welcomed her youngest, Marnie, in 2012 at the age of 41, she faced questions about being an ‘older’ mother. In a 2014 interview with The Huffington Post, she brushed off the label with characteristic good humor: “I suppose 40 is considered ‘old’ to be a mum again, but I certainly don’t feel like an older mum. You’re as young as you feel and I feel great. I know parents who had babies much older than 40. It hasn’t been a problem for us at all.”

But perhaps the most profound chapter in Outhwaite’s family life unfolded when her eldest, Flo, came out as transgender. The actress kept her children out of the spotlight for years, but in 2025, she spoke openly about Flo’s transition and the emotional hurdles she faced as a parent. Appearing on the Parenting Hell podcast, she shared, “I’ve got two kids, and I did have two daughters and now I have a son and a daughter, and that’s quite easy for me to say now, but it wasn’t maybe six or seven years ago. To see him thriving is just nothing but relief and joy for me, really, because there were some dark times.”

Outhwaite’s honesty about her initial reaction is striking. “The way I reacted at the very beginning, I would love to change because I think until you’re going through it yourself with your child, it’s very difficult to judge other people or to judge a situation because you don’t expect that to happen to you or your child,” she admitted. “What I did initially, I was like, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ I didn’t say it out loud, but my mind went to, ‘That’s ludicrous,’ and I had to work back from that, talking it through.”

Through these challenges, Outhwaite has found her relationship with her children growing even deeper. “I would say that we have become a lot closer over the last few years, and I think that that happens naturally before they fly the nest,” she explained. It’s a sentiment echoed in her accounts of Flo and Marnie’s bond—a relationship that has proved both resilient and nurturing as Flo transitioned.

Support, it turns out, came from within the family as much as from outside. Marnie, just six years old when Flo began transitioning, immediately accepted her sibling’s identity. “Marnie has been the most insightful about all of it because it’s constantly, from pretty much day one, when Marnie was six years old, has said, ‘This is my brother Flo,’” Outhwaite recounted on the podcast. At school, Flo has been embraced by friends, with classmates offering acceptance and a variety of nicknames. Outhwaite remarked that “all of the kids are so accepting of everything, but I think they’re much more understanding.” The siblings’ connection goes back years—Outhwaite once described watching Flo read to Marnie as “incredible,” marveling at her child “finding the right sounds and recognising words.”

Outside the family sphere, Outhwaite’s romantic life has also been in the spotlight. After her marriage to Tom Ellis ended, she embarked on a six-and-a-half-year relationship with Tom Child, a man two decades her junior. Their split, which occurred around early 2026, was amicable—Child remains a part of Outhwaite’s and her children’s lives. Meanwhile, Ellis has remarried, tying the knot with American screenwriter Meaghan Oppenheimer. Their daughter was born via surrogate in November 2023, as reported by the Mirror.

In recent interviews, Outhwaite has been unflinchingly honest about the lessons she’s learned from love and heartbreak. On HELLO!’s Second Act podcast in September, she revealed a newfound contentment with single life. “It took me a long time in life to start having a love affair with myself instead of another man,” she reflected. “Friendship is more important than romance right now, I don’t know that I’ve got the time for relationships.”

She’s also wary of societal pressures to find “the one.” As she put it, “The constant search to find someone to complete you is dangerous... I won’t do it again. There is so much discovery of yourself you can do.” Her dating preferences have shifted, too. Outhwaite admitted, “I haven’t really dated someone my age or older than me. I feel like I’m 30, and I’ll look at someone who is 40 and think, ‘that’s about right!’ before realising they’re much younger than me.” She added, “There are men in their 50s who really look after themselves, but I just haven’t met them yet.”

While romance may have taken a backseat, Outhwaite’s professional life continues to flourish. Since her breakout as Mel Owen in EastEnders—a role she played from 1998 to 2002, and again from 2018 to 2019—she’s built an impressive portfolio. Recent credits include acclaimed dramas like The Wives, Death In Paradise, The Tower, and Silent Witness. In 2022, she even braved the cold for the BBC reality show Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof, tackling her apprehension of cold-water immersion head-on.

Outhwaite’s willingness to share the vulnerable, unvarnished parts of her life has resonated with many. Her story, as told through interviews and podcasts, is one of growth, acceptance, and the ongoing process of self-discovery. She’s set to appear on Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh on ITV—another chance, perhaps, to reflect on the path she’s traveled and the family she’s built.

Through the ups and downs—career changes, evolving family dynamics, heartbreak, and healing—Tamzin Outhwaite has emerged as a figure of strength and openness. Her journey, marked by both adversity and affection, offers a glimpse into the real life behind the spotlight, where love, identity, and resilience take center stage.